Asked: "How is the ancestor from the west?" The teacher said, "You don't ask the right question." He said, "How?" The teacher said, "When I am destroyed, I will say to you."
- "Five Lantern Huiyuan" Volume 2 Jingshan Daoqin Zen Master
Literal translation in the vernacular:
A monk asked Jingshan Daoqin: "What kind of Buddhism did Patriarch Bodhidharma pass on when he crossed to China?" ”
Jingshan Daoqin said: "It's not appropriate for you to ask like this. ”
The monk asked, "What is the right question?" ”
Jingshan Daoqin said: "I'll tell you when I die!" ”
Appreciation:
As a teacher and master, you should answer questions and solve doubts for your disciples, and you should teach what you know without reservation; If you don't know, say you don't know, instead of denying the problem itself.
If we look at it from this point of view, the masters of Zen Buddhism are all "liars" who can only play tricks, not only do not give answers to their disciples, but also falsely say, "You are not asking the right question"!
If this is the case, then what is so desirable about Buddhism and meditation, and how can it survive thousands of years of transmission? Perhaps there was a misunderstanding, but in fact, in this conversation, the Zen master has already answered the question very clearly, and it is not that he has not answered the question.
Ask, "What is the Dharma?" ”
Answer: "You're not asking the right question".
There is something in the words: there is no such thing as the Dharma, the question itself does not exist, and you ask a question that does not exist, so how can I answer you?
The monk didn't understand the "meaning of the Zen master's words", and really thought it was a question of "how to ask".
So he continued to ask, "How do you ask?" ”
Answer: "I'll tell you when I'm dead!" ”
How can I answer you after I die? It's like: wait until the sun rises in the west! It means: Don't say it!
Therefore, Jingshan Daoqin has already answered: "This question is not a question in the first place, of course there is no answer to tell you!" ”
Why is this happening? Isn't Buddhism what it preaches and inherits? Why can't we say the Dharma? There's not even any such thing as Dharma? This is food for thought.
There are two problems that need to be solved in the survival and development of mankind:
The first is how to solve problems, such as: how to survive, how to improve the quality of life, how to deal with nature, how to prolong life and other material problems, which need knowledge, science, technology and other tangible "techniques" to solve.
Therefore, from this point of view, teachers and masters are "preaching and teaching to solve doubts".
The second is how to look at problems, such as: how to control emotions, how to enjoy life, how to experience life, how to face death and other spiritual problems, which need wisdom and other invisible "Tao" to solve.
How you look at the problem is your own business, what the teacher and master say doesn't count! In this sense, for the Master, the question that the disciple asked really does not exist.
Human beings claim to be "intelligent" creatures, not only in how to adapt and transform the world, but more importantly, how to live a "happy" life. Only when material civilization and spiritual civilization coexist can human beings survive and live better.
Survival depends on materiality, and life depends on wisdom. Therefore, it is necessary to solve problems by knowledge, and to look at problems by wisdom. The so-called Buddhism is the "wisdom" that the Buddha found to lead people out of the sea of suffering, not some tangible "technology and learning".
He used his own personal practice to find the key out of the sea of suffering: the "sea of suffering" is a spiritual problem, and the spiritual problem cannot be solved, only when the problem is resolved, there is no need to solve the problem.
Why can't the inner problems of the spirit be solved? Look at it this way.
For example: facing survival. In ancient times, when productivity was low, human beings cultivated slash-and-burn, were subject to the living environment, and were afraid of wind and rain and wild beasts. But now that productivity has increased dramatically, and although the beasts have been conquered and nature has been transformed to a certain extent, there are still concerns. Earthquakes, tsunamis, frequent epidemics, constant wars, and threats from space, etc.
Another example: quality of life. Coarse tea and light rice are not happy, and the delicacies of the mountains and seas are also not satisfied. The monthly salary is not enough, and the monthly salary is not enough. The quality of life of modern people has far exceeded the living standards of ancient emperors, but everyone is still unhappy.
Another example: facing life and death. In ancient times, medical conditions were poor, and the average life expectancy was 30 years. Now the medical conditions are good, and the average life expectancy is 75 years. But whether it is Qin Shi Huang or you today, who can not be troubled in the face of death that will come sooner or later?
So, the Buddha discovered the truth about all spiritual problems: how they are caused by how they are perceived as the problems of the moment.
With such an "epistemology", there must be a corresponding "methodology". Since all mental disorders lie in "how to look at the problem", then the solution is to "not look at the problem with one's own heart", and naturally there is no problem.
Therefore, Buddhism does not talk about how to solve problems, as in the above example, as long as there is a problem, there is no way to solve it "satisfactorily". Therefore, cultivating Buddhism is not about cultivating "boundless power" and relying on ability to solve problems. Rather, it is to feel the present moment from the "undifferentiated" heart, so as to resolve the problem into the invisible. In this way, all problems are solved.
Knowledge is the study of what, why, and how, in order to directly solve problems. Therefore, knowledge must be divided into backward and advanced, good and bad, right and wrong.
Buddhism is concerned with how to look at problems, so as to indirectly resolve mental obstacles, and let people live their lives freely and open-mindedly, without any negative emotions. So there is no such thing as good or bad, right or wrong.
Knowledge and Buddhism are not the same in terms of what they focus on and play different roles, so one cannot use one to deny the other. The Dharma doesn't require any skills or abilities, because if you don't solve the problem, you can solve it before you solve it!
Therefore, where there is a "Dharma", "how is the patriarch from the West", if you say "what is", it is knowledge, not the invisible wisdom that solves problems.
To put it bluntly, how "fucked" or "beautiful" life is all about your feelings! This feeling, like a person drinking water and knowing whether he is warm or cold, of course cannot be said to others. Even if you say it, it is impossible for others to empathize!
It can also be said that Buddhism is one's own realization, and life is one's own feelings, both of which are internal and private, and of course there is nothing to say!
It's like:
Ask: "Are you happy?" ”
Answer: "You're not right! ”
Ask: "How do you ask?" ”
Answer: "The first thing you have to tell me is, what is happiness? As long as you tell you what happiness is, I will tell you whether I am happy or not. ”
When I was a child, a piece of candy given by a friend could bring happiness; A word of praise from the teacher can make you happy all day; An excellent test score can be happy for half a year......
When you grow up: your abilities improve, your career is successful, and you meet your beloved......
No matter which of the above situations, you were undoubtedly "happy" at that time, so what is happiness, how to explain it clearly! If the moment of attachment to satisfaction is happiness, then is it not happiness when most of the others are not satisfied?
Staying in the present, living in reality, and realizing the truth of the present is happiness, and that kind of happiness is long-lasting and eternal.
Having said that, Buddhism is just an attitude of looking at problems and experiencing life, and of course it is not the "knowledge" or "technology" of how to solve problems.
Knowledge can be learned and taught. Wisdom can only be realized within, not from without, and of course cannot be obtained from outside oneself.
In the face of such questions, no matter what answers the Zen master gives, they are not absolutely correct, and these answers may obscure one's nature and limit oneself to these answers.
It can be said that there is an answer, and it is now; It can also be said that there is no answer, and all answers are not absolute.
"Once the wind and the moon, the sky is eternal"
Yes and no, I don't count, you can experience it yourself! This is the answer given by Jingshan Daoqin.